Adjudant-Chef Cyrille HANRIOT
Studies and Purchasing Department, Logistics Technical Group, SDIS 74 (Departmental Fire and Rescue Service of Haute-Savoie)
SDIS 74 at a glance
The Departmental Fire and Rescue Service of Haute-Savoie has around 3,500 career and volunteer firefighters. It also has around 160 administrative and technical staff, spread across nearly 87 sites. It is one of the largest SDIS in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes defence zone, alongside those of Isère and Rhône. The Studies and Purchasing department of the logistics technical group leads the sourcing, benchmarking and integration of equipment. This equipment is used across the entire stock, from firefighting equipment to clothing.
KEY RESULTS
The context: drying, decontaminating and disinfecting firefighters’ gear
The daily upkeep of the gear, footwear and gloves of SDIS 74’s 3,500 firefighters is a major logistical challenge.
This is even more true for the mountain rescue centre, which requires more intensive care. Indeed, operations in natural environments expose crews to mud, damp and difficult weather conditions.
SDIS 74 has therefore installed Novven cabinets and Hygitec boot dryers to dry, deodorise, disinfect and decontaminate firefighters’ gear, in about thirty sites across the department. These are complementary pieces of equipment that ensure hygiene safety, comfort for firefighters and optimised PPE management costs.
Sanitising gear after operations in harsh weather conditions
Mountain operations demand hard physical effort and expose crews to difficult weather conditions, causing sweat, damp and odours on firefighters’ gear.
Hygitec boot dryers, combined with the Novven disinfection cabinet, return gear to operational condition in just a few hours, before the next call-out.
The boot dryer treats rangers, approach shoes, climbing shoes and ski boots alike, sanitising the inside and removing bad odours caused by damp and sweat.
In addition, the disinfection cabinet treats the rest of the firefighters’ gear.
Previously, a traditional wash was not always enough to remove certain persistent odours, such as hydrocarbons or slurry. This sometimes led to a garment being thrown away outright, even though it was still technically effective.
Solving the challenge of drying firefighters’ gloves
Made of several layers combining leather and textile, with a waterproof, breathable membrane in between, gloves are the hardest items to sanitise.
Previously, sanitising meant repeated washing, with no guarantee of results. On top of that, the drum of professional machines damaged the leather and shortened the glove’s lifespan.
Thanks to the sleeves of the Hygitec glove dryers, gloves are sanitised directly on the inside, without affecting the material.
“Previously, glove drying relied on approximate protocols, often using tumble machines that damaged the leather and considerably shortened the equipment’s lifespan. Today, getting gloves back into circulation faster also means we need less stock: a concrete benefit that reduces the financial impact. With the Hygitec glove dryer, we get results we had not managed to achieve until now.”
Adjudant-Chef Cyrille HANRIOT
Observed benefits
Equipment ready for operations in a few hours
Fast drying limits the number of gloves tied up in stock, as they return to operational use more quickly. This has a significant impact on the management costs of the equipment stock.
Gear that lasts longer
Gloves, footwear and gear are no longer damaged by their drying, deodorising and disinfection cycle, which noticeably extends their lifespan.
Gear that can be passed on within a constantly changing workforce
Despite structural turnover, gear passes from one firefighter to the next with full hygiene safety. This makes it possible to keep fully functional equipment rather than throw it away.
Better comfort for firefighters
In addition, this equipment brings a real gain in comfort, especially in high-altitude stations where changing rooms are unheated. And when a firefighter feels good, they are in better condition to go out on a call.
In summary, what SDIS 74 takes away
“The Novven and Hygitec teams gave us in-depth support so that we could equip our fire stations with the right products, which have a positive impact on our firefighters’ daily lives.”
Adjudant-Chef Cyrille HANRIOT
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